Preview: Yankees @ Red Sox (9/14/13)

CC Sabathia (13-12, 4.82 ERA) continues the hunt for the Yanks for October, standing in his way is Jon Lester (13-8 3.86 ERA.) Sabathia was outpitched by the Orioles’ Chris Tillman in his last outing, taking the loss after allowing three earned runs in 7 1/3 innings. He is 2-1 with a bloated 7.15 ERA in four starts against Boston this year.

Lester has been tremendous in the second half of the season, though he took a no decision in his last start, giving up three runs over eight innings. Lester is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 10 starts since the All Star break. Lester has eight wins against the Yankees since the beginning of the 2009 season, which is tied with David Price for most wins against the Yankees since then. His last start was against the Yankees in the Bronx last Sunday night, when he allowed three earned runs on 10 hits in eight innings of work in a 4-3 Yankees win

The Yankees lost ground for the second AL Wild Card, dropping two games behind the Rays, who hold a 1 1/2-game edge over the Indians. The rivals meet again today with even more work to do after Friday night’s loss, but they are keeping the faith despite injuries piling up and time running out.

“I believe in these guys,” Joe Girardi said. “I believe in the character in that room. Maybe I’ve kind of gotten used to the injuries this year, because we’ve seen it a lot. Just, OK, move on. You have to move on. Sometimes that sounds like it’s cold, in a sense, but it’s not. It’s part of the job, and it’s what as players and coaches and an organization you need to be able to do because you owe it to each other in that room, and you owe it to your fans.”

With Brett Gardner going down with an oblique injury Thursday, the Bombers lost their everyday center fielder and leadoff man, the player with the second most games played and at bats behind Robinson Cano. Even more of a blow, he is most likely out for the season. “I’m almost to the point where I don’t think anything surprises our guys anymore,” Girardi said. “I don’t want to diminish how important players are to us, but we kind of got used to it. You get a guy back, a guy goes down. It’s how it’s been all year long.”

Notes on the game.

After going 4-4 on Friday, Cano raised his career average at Fenway Park to .347 (111-320), which ranks second only to Lou Gehrig (.350) among Yankees batters with 200 or more at bats there.

The Red Sox now lead the season series 11-6 and are 4-3 in Boston this year.